Learn How to Force a ConfigMgr SCCM Site to sync from its parent site.
While troubleshooting some weird site replication issues today it was decided that we needed to force a sync of our SCCM 2007 site with its parent as the child primary was missing some OSD advertisements.
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Learn How to Force a ConfigMgr SCCM Site to sync from its parent site
So after some research, the following is the process of forcing a resync between a Parent site and its Child site.
1. Identify the Parent Site
On the site with problems (the site you want to get re-synced) in the SCCM console expand Site Management, Site Code, and right-click on the Site, choose Properties, note what the Parent Site: value is set to. Learn How to Force a ConfigMgr SCCM Site to sync from its parent site.
2. Logon to the Parent Site
Logon to the Parent site with the same account that you installed SCCM on that site with, eg: if you installed the Parent site while logged on as SMSadmin then login as SMSAdmin otherwise you may get errors in the preinst command.
3. Run the preinst command
Locate the SCCM installation directory and open a command prompt and browse to X:\SMS\bin\i3860000409 where X: is the drive you installed SCCM on. Execute the following command
preinst.exe /syncchild XXX
where XXX is the SITE CODE of the child site you want to sync. The following should be output
F:\SMS\bin\i3860000409>preinst.exe /syncchild ABC
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager v4.00 (Build 6487)
Copyright (C) 2005 Microsoft Corp.
Synchronized child site ABC
Note:- that as this is full sync that it will take many hours to sync everything.
4. What Logs to look at?
Pay close attention to the following logs on the Parent and Child site
Despool.log – Records incoming site-to-site communication transfers.
Replmgr.log – Records the replication of files between the site server components and the Scheduler component.
Sender.log – Records files that are sent to other child and parent sites.
Related reading:-
Learn How to Force a ConfigMgr SCCM Site to sync from its parent site.
1. Understanding Site to Site Communication in SMS/SCCM
2. SCCM Object Replication Issue From Central To Primary
3. preinst.exe /syncchild <– Not a known site?
4. Technet: Hierarchy Maintenance Tool Syntax
Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect in enterprise client management with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. E writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc…